


Dance with Me

by Octibbles



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Genre: Alternate Universe - Edwardian, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, just vibin with edwardian period lesbians, why is this such a specific au? idk man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:41:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22661905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Octibbles/pseuds/Octibbles
Summary: A CATS human AU set in the Edwardian period. Victoria meets a mysterious young woman at a party, and begins to find herself falling for her.
Relationships: Rumpleteazer/Victoria (Cats)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 70





	1. I want to be your partner

**Author's Note:**

> Why is this au so specific? Vibes I guess. Anyways, enjoy the Victeazer. This is just chapter 1, there's much more to come! 
> 
> Also a note about the names- if the cat's name sounds somewhat like what an actual human would be named, I keep that as their actual name, otherwise their cat name is now a nickname.
> 
> Edit: i've decided to title each chapter with a lyric of dance with me because i live for the cheesiness

The sound of glass shattering against a wooden floor broke the tense silence of the room. It was followed by a soft giggle emitted from a young redheaded woman who looked upon the mess with glee. With the porcelain jewelry box discarded upon the floor, she examined the jewels she had plucked from within. Pearls, gold, and diamonds glittered in the newfangled electric lights this home boasted. A fine bounty. She stuffed the jewels in her bodice and left the room, making her way to the next. The carnage she wrought would likely not be found until morning, as the party going on at the ground floor disguised any noises from the rooms above.

She didn’t know anyone at the party, and she didn’t know who owned the house, either. For Ruth and her twin brother Milo, crashing parties was more than just a fun Saturday night, it was their job. It was easy- just dress in your best, act important, and the rich people let you right in. Once they were in, they’d mingle for a bit and then slip away into the other parts of the home, taking valuable goods and destroying a few things just for good measure. They were careful to not reveal their actual names to anyone, in fact they usually didn’t mention names at all. If they had to get the other’s attention, they’d use the aliases they had come up with as children: Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. Throughout all of their various schemes, they had never once been caught.

She entered the next room, closing the door behind her. It looked to be a guest room, so there likely wouldn’t be much to loot, but it didn’t hurt to look. She got to work, rifling through drawers whilst humming to herself.

-

The party was grand, that was for certain. Dancing couples swept the ballroom floor, the bright silk skirts reflecting lights from the chandelier and causing spots in Victoria’s eyes whenever she blinked. She felt almost sick watching them twirl. She loved to dance, but not in crowds like this. She barely even knew anyone at this party. Nerves clawed at her stomach as she stood, making herself as small as possible and hoping she could avoid any conversation. It wasn’t like her to be so unsociable, but the sheer amount of people was quite intimidating. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to dance?” A familiar voice questioned softly.

She looked over to see with some relief that it was just her boyfriend Plato coming to check on her. She nodded with an apologetic smile on her lips. It dawned on her that in the time they had been courting, she had never once danced with Plato. Perhaps it was just nerves once more, or perhaps it was a symptom of a deeper issue she had been recognizing as of late… She pushed the thought out of her mind for the time being.

He didn’t push it, which she was thankful for, and instead shifted the conversation. “Your brother is about to do some magic tricks, would you like to go watch?”

“That sounds lovely.” 

He took her hand and led her over to a small crowd gathering. Standing on her tippy toes, she could see her brother Quaxo and a deck of cards. It was a trick she knew well, though she supposed she knew all his tricks well. She was often the one that he practiced them on. She stood level again. The trick itself didn’t matter so much to her as hearing the crowd’s reactions did. Every little “Ooh!” or “Ah!” made her smile. He deserved all the praise that he got. 

This went on as he made his way through his routine. Victoria recognized each trick, and once he got to the final one in his repertoire she moved so the crowd could disperse, but he didn’t say his usual ending monologue. Instead he continued on, introducing a trick she hadn’t heard of before. She stepped back up on her tippy toes, watching him intently.

“For this trick, I’m going to need some volunteers from the audience.” Hands were raised, but his eyes searched the crowd until they fell upon Victoria. She didn’t have her hand raised, but he motioned for her to come up, and she did so. She gave him a quizzical look, but his placid smile betrayed no answers. “And I need one more- Yes, you, sir.” He motioned to Plato who also stepped forward and took his place next to Victoria. She figured he may be trying a new trick and wanted volunteers who he knew for comfort, but she wasn’t sure why he wouldn’t have practiced it first.

“Now, what we are going to see here tonight is an act of transmutation. I will attempt to turn one thing into another.”

Quaxo reached into his coat pocket and fished out a lump of coal. He held it out towards Plato. “If you would, I’d like you to place this on the palm of your hand and cover it with the other.” He did so, and looked to Quaxo for further instruction.

“I’m sure you have all heard that if enough pressure is applied to coal, it turns to diamond. Now this is not achievable by humans alone, but if I apply a little magic to help the process…”

He waved his hands over Plato’s. “Now then, if you’d open your hands.” 

Something glinted in the light as he opened them. Victoria leaned in closer, trying to see what it was, but just as she made out the shape of a ring, he got down on one knee. 

The reality of the situation fell upon her at a sickening speed. Everything began to feel very far away as she felt blood begin to rush to her head. Any time she imagined this situation, this was not anything how she imagined it would feel. She thought she’d feel elation, but this wasn’t what that was. She didn’t even know what this was. 

“Victoria, will you marry me?” He was saying. Or at least that’s what she guessed he was saying. His voice sounded muffled to her now. 

Finally it hit her what this feeling was. Panic. She couldn’t think clearly, so she did the only thing she could think to do in the moment. 

She ran. 

This house was unfamiliar to her, but she had no time to work out where anything was. Wherever she ended up would be fine as long as she could take a moment to unpack everything that was going on in her mind right now. She ran up a large staircase and then picked a door at random. With any luck, they wouldn’t be able to figure out where she was for a while. Then she could avoid the shame of running from a proposal for a short while.

She closed the door behind her and sank down to the floor. Tears started flowing from her eyes without her even meaning for them to, and audible sobs followed it. She tried to choke them back, but they wrestled their way out of her throat anyways. The sound of a drawer sliding shut pulled her out of her own head, and she looked at the room properly for the first time. There was a young woman by the dresser, and she was looking at Victoria with a perplexed expression on her face. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but shut it again, unsure. 

“S-sorry.” Victoria choked out. She meant to say “Sorry for intruding”, but sorry was all she could get out. She started to get up, but the woman came over to her. “It’s okay. Just sit, okay?” She spoke softly, which comforted Victoria immensely. She allowed herself to slump back on the floor. There was a moment’s hesitation before the other girl sat down on the floor herself, put her arms around her, and pulled her into a light hug. Victoria was aware it was probably improper to sob on a complete stranger, but she did so anyways. Neither of them said anything for a while, but that was okay. She really just needed to be held. 

Eventually, her sobs slowed and her breathing returned to normal. It was then that the other girl broke the silence. “What happened? ...If you want’ta tell me, that is.”

Victoria lifted her head up off the girl’s chest, looking at her clearly for the first time. She had bright red hair and green eyes that looked as if they were peering directly into Victoria’s soul. And freckles- lots of freckles. It occurred to Victoria that she was very close to her face if she could make out all of the freckles on her face, so she scrambled back a bit. She was very pretty, stunning, even. What had she asked? It took Victoria a moment to gather her bearings. She could feel a blush spreading across her cheeks and she dropped her gaze, turning her mind back to the question.

“I… got proposed to…” As the words exited her lips, she took in how stupid they sounded. A proposal was supposed to be a joyous time, and here she was, crying as if someone had just died. 

She glanced back up at the redheaded girl, expecting her to be confused, but she was just nodding, a sympathetic look in her eyes. “I take it those weren’t happy tears?”

Victoria shook her head. “I don’t really know why I’m so upset. He’s… He’s very sweet.” She almost followed that up with but, except she didn’t know why she’d say that. But what? But she didn’t love him? Was that what it was? But he was sweet and kind and handsome and there was no reason in the world she shouldn’t love him. Even Uncle Bustopher and Quaxo had talked quite highly of him, saying he’d make a fine husband if she were to marry him someday. What was the issue?

“Doesn’t mean you can’t be upset about it.” The girl reached out and brushed a stray hair behind Victoria’s ear. It sent a shiver down her spine. “Maybe you’re just not ready.”

Victoria nodded, relaxing a little. Maybe that was it. “I think so. I’ll tell him that.” She glanced at the door nervously. “Actually, I think I’ll tell him that later. I don’t think I’m ready to go back out there yet.” 

The other girl laughed a little. “I understand that. One time I knocked a rather expensive vase over in the middle of a party and hid for hours. ‘Cept I was hidin’ cause I thought they might kill me, so I think you’re a bit safer in that department.”

Victoria giggled, her face breaking into a grin. “I would hope so!” 

The girl lightly tapped Victoria’s nose with her finger. “Knew I could make ya laugh!” 

Victoria laughed again, wiping the last of her tears away with her hands. “Thank you… I needed to laugh.” 

The other girl opened her mouth, as if to say something, but was interrupted by the door bursting open. In rushed a young man, who looked very similar to the girl she was sitting with. He hurriedly shut the door behind him. His eyes went to the girl’s first, and then to Victoria, and back to the girl, an annoyed expression crossing his face. “I’ve been lookin’ for you everywhere, what’re you doing?” 

The girl shrugged and stood up, matching his annoyed expression with one of her own. “I got a bit preoccupied.”

Victoria stood up as well. “I’m sorry, I-” 

The girl patted her arm. “No, no. Don’t apologize for nothin’, love. Not your fault.” 

“We’ve got t’go right now.” The man said, urgency tinting his voice. “There’s loads of people walkin’ in and out of rooms right now.” 

As if on cue, the sound of voices and footsteps neared the room. The girl swore under her breath and turned to Victoria. “Do me a favor. If anyone asks, there was no one in this room with you.” 

Victoria nodded, not quite sure what was going on. But- it was the least she could do after she had been so kind to her.

The two redheads just about sprinted to the window on the other side of the room, unbolting it with ease and slipping it up. The cold night air blew in, giving Victoria a chill. The man went out first, hopping through the window and onto the roof ledge outside, disappearing from view. And then the girl began to step through. Victoria’s heart dropped, though she couldn’t exactly say why. 

“Wait! What’s your name?” The words seemed to come out of her mouth involuntarily.

The girl stopped, one leg inside and one leg swung over the windowsill. “You can call me…” She paused, as if a name was an answer that required thought. “Rumpleteazer.”

Victoria stared at her, confused by the odd name, but Rumpleteazer didn’t seem to think anything of it. She just added “Maybe I’ll see you around.” and punctuated her sentence with a wink. Then she slipped out the window, and was gone. 

The door opened behind Victoria, but she didn’t notice. She was too busy watching two silhouettes running across the London rooftops in the moonlight.


	2. Can't you see

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot write dialogue but i'm trying my best, super sorry if it isn't great! Anyways, expect some art from me to be in here soon! I was going to add some as I published this, but I was just too excited to get this out so I'll add it in later or add some to the next chapter.
> 
> Speaking of art, shining-star-art on tumblr drew this beautiful Edwardian Victoria! It's so stunning https://shining-star-art.tumblr.com/post/190823712482/i-tried-drawing-victoria-from-jellicle-cat-s
> 
> If you draw any fanart my tumblr is rumplteazer, please @ me I love to see them!
> 
> Enjoy!

A week had passed since the last party, and Rumpleteazer had not stopped thinking about the girl she had met since. This wasn’t the first time a pretty girl had occupied her mind like this, in fact, it was an all-too-often occurrence. But, she couldn’t remember if any times before had been this all-consuming. They had barely even had time to talk, why couldn’t she shake her from her thoughts? 

Teazer had already put on the gown she usually wore to parties, but looking in the mirror, she sighed. It wasn’t very flattering, was it? Normally, she wouldn’t have cared, but she couldn’t shake the thought that  _ she _ might be there. Moving over to her closet, she dug around until she came upon her former evening gown. It used to be the one she would wear for these occasions, but it was heavy and tight which made escapes much harder. She knew the one she was already wearing was easier to move in, but that didn’t seem to matter at the moment, the old dress looked better on her. She was only thinking about impressing that girl. She quickly changed gowns, and then looked in the mirror once more, finally satisfied. But then the seeds of doubt began to blossom in her head. Why was she bothering? This girl couldn’t possibly be interested in  _ her _ . Besides, she’d probably be marrying that beau of hers once her nerves subsided. 

Teazer sighed, and reached to undo the buttons on the dress, but was interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door. “C’mon Teaz, we have’ta go.” Mungojerrie’s voice said.

She frowned. There was no time to switch dresses again if they didn’t want to be late to the party. Being late would mean less time and items to sell which would mean less money. “Coming!” She said back to him before grabbing the burlap sack she used to carry the goods and stuffing it down the dress bodice. 

As always, the party was on the other side of town. Normally, the walk wouldn’t have bothered her, but the dress weighed her down and she was already regretting it. And if the girl wasn’t even there- well wouldn’t she feel dumb about this whole thing then? Jerrie shot her a look of concern, but he didn’t say anything. She was thankful for that- he understood when she didn’t want to talk about something and he understood when she did.

They got into the party as easily as ever. Once in, they decided on a meeting spot for when they were done, and then they split, both entering the fray to socialize so they wouldn’t draw any suspicion from party guests once their crimes were discovered the next morning. 

But that night Teazer didn’t want to socialize with these rich windbags, she just wanted to find  _ her _ , if she was here at all. She wove in and out of the downstairs rooms, looking intently for a sign of her anywhere. Finally, in the ballroom, the familiar head of almost-white blonde hair caught her eye. Her heartbeat sped up, both from nerves and excitement. The girl was standing across the way, and looking around as if she was trying to find something. Teazer wondered momentarily if she was looking for her, but she figured she probably wasn’t.

Steeling herself, she made her way towards her, skirting the edge of the dance floor where no one was dancing. The heaviness of the dress that had bothered her so much earlier was now a distant memory. It felt as if she were walking on air. The girl’s eyes met hers as she drew closer, and to Teazer’s delight she broke into a beaming smile. Her heart fluttered and her mind went blank, leaving her staring at the girl with a deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face. 

“You look- your dress is lovely.” It took a moment for the girl’s words to reach Teazer’s ears, but it shook her out of her stupor. It was subtle, but she knew what the girl had _ almost _ said. It wasn’t the dress that she wanted to compliment. 

She smiled at her. “Thank you. How’re you? I mean- Are things goin’ better now?” 

The girl nodded, though the smile on her face faltered momentarily. “Things are better. I told him that I wasn’t ready. Thank you for the advice, Rumpleteazer.” She giggled a little when she said her name. “Is that really your name? It’s so peculiar!”

Teazer just grinned and shrugged. “I’m not really the kind’ve person an ordinary name fits, I guess. You can just call me Teazer, though. Little less of a mouthful that way.”

“Alright, Teazer it is then! My name’s Victoria. I would have told you before, but you seemed pretty keen to get out that window.” 

Teazer let out a nervous laugh, but she had a feeling she didn’t have to worry about Victoria having witnessed that. “That’s a lovely name. Fits you, you’re lovely.” Oh god, why did she just say that? That was  _ way _ too forward, but it just came out. 

“Th-thank you!” There was hardly a moment’s pause between the compliment and the reaction. Thankfully, Victoria genuinely sounded pleased, and didn’t seem to be put-off at all.

Relieved, Teazer happily carried on the conversation. “So why’re you standin’ all the way over here in the corner?” 

“Oh, um- parties aren’t really my thing. They’re a bit much for me. I usually don’t come to them, but I-” She stopped. From her expression, Teazer guessed she was deciding whether to say something or not. She took a breath and then finished her thought, though her voice had quieted considerably. “I was hoping I might see you again, actually.”

  
  


Rumpleteazer’s face went bright red, but she was smiling from ear to ear. So she  _ was _ looking for her after all. She wanted nothing more just to stay here and talk to Victoria all night, but that wasn’t what she was here for. She couldn’t get distracted, but maybe… She glanced at a clock hanging on one of the walls. It was still early, maybe she could grab some loot quickly and then return back downstairs to be with Victoria a little longer. It wouldn’t be a very good haul, but that was fine by her.

“I have’ta go do something for a little while. Wanna meet me in the garden in an hour? Might be a little better for you out there. Less people.” 

Victoria grinned and nodded. “I’d love to!”

Teazer gave her a thumbs up and hurried off, trying her best to look inconspicuous, but wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. This was usually her favorite part, but tonight she just liked something else a little bit more.

\--

Victoria tried to calm her anticipation while she waited out the hour, but it was no use. The environment became a blur to her, she could only think of Teazer. Her eyes flitted to the clock as she waited, but time seemed to be going agonizingly slow. She supposed that was just an unfortunate side effect of excitement. 

A hand on her shoulder pulled her gaze from the clock, only to see her brother standing next to her. “Are you doing alright?” He asked. She could tell he still felt bad about the proposal, but Victoria had tried to assure him and Plato that they had done nothing wrong. 

She nodded. “I’m having a lovely time, actually!”

He gave her a quizzical look. “By yourself in a corner?”

She giggled. “No, no I’m waiting for a friend. She had to go do something, but I’m glad she’s here.” 

Quaxo smiled. “I’m glad you’re having fun. If you need me I’ll be over in the parlor, okay?” 

Victoria nodded, and waved him goodbye as he went. She was glad that he cared to check up on her. Absently, she wondered where Plato might be. He had been spending a little less time with her ever since the incident, though she knew it was just his way of giving her some space and time to think things over. Still, she wasn’t sure if their relationship would ever mend properly after that. Did she even want it to? 

Her eyes drifted up to the clock again, only to be disappointed again by how little time had passed. She decided to head to the garden anyways. It didn’t matter if she was early, at least then she could wait in peace and quiet. As she opened the glass doors leading to the garden, a warm breeze came through. She smiled, it was a perfect night. The garden itself was quite beautiful, and it only looked even more so under the moonlight. Victoria felt a lot more at home out here. At parties like these, she just felt watched- judged by everyone around her for every action. It had always been like that, such is the way of having to follow strict etiquette, she figured. Tonight, it had felt worse. She could hear them whispering about the proposal incident as if she wasn’t in the room, and it made her feel awful. Out here she could at least be away from all of that. 

Unlike the clock inside, time seemed to pass much faster as she was waiting in the garden. The sound of the door opening surprised her, and she turned to see an out of breath Teazer. The thought that she may have run to get here as fast as possible made Victoria’s heart skip a beat.

Victoria grinned at her. “You were right, I do like it better out here!” 

Rumpleteazer plopped down ungracefully on a marble bench to catch her breath. “Knew you would! Honestly, I don’t really like these parties much either. They’re so… stuffy.” 

Victoria sat down next to her “Exactly! It’s so tiring. They all want to be better than each other... And then they say things about me right in front of me like I can’t hear them.” 

Teazer’s hand went to her shoulder, resting there gently. “Oh my god, are you okay? What’re they saying?” Her voice was tinted with genuine concern.

Victoria just wanted to melt into her touch. She didn’t expect her to react with concern, she was so used to people brushing her off if she mentioned something like that. Overwhelmed with emotion, she reached out and pulled the redhead into a tight hug. Teazer didn’t seem to mind at all, she just wrapped her arms around her in return. 

“I’m alright.” Victoria finally replied.

“D’you want me to beat ‘em up for you?” 

Victoria laughed. She was sure that she was mostly joking, but a part of her believed that she’d absolutely follow through if asked. “No, that’s alright. I’m sure the proposal scandal will be old news by next week.” 

“Try not to let them get to you if you can. They’re all a load of idiots.” Teazer said, releasing her from the hug. Victoria wouldn’t have minded staying a little longer in her embrace, but she didn’t say anything.

There was a pause and Teazer looked up. “Huh. Not cloudy tonight, You can see all the stars.” 

Victoria followed her gaze, lettings her eyes drift over the familiar patterns in the stars. “Oh! Look, you can see Ursa Major right there.” 

“Ursa- what?” She noticed Teazer squinting, searching for what she was talking about.

“Here-” Victoria pointed, following the shape of the constellation. “It means Great Bear.”

She heard the other girl chuckle. “Looks more like some sort’ve great beetle to me.”

Victoria joined in her laughter. “Oh, it does! I never really thought it looked much like a bear, either. Constellations are funny like that. When my brother and I were kids we tried to make better constellations, but we couldn’t remember where any of them were the next time we went looking for them.”

“I’m sure they were loads better than the great beetle.” Teazer said with a grin.

It was quiet outside, but occasionally the quiet was broken by the strains of a song being played inside the house. After a few moments, Victoria was able to make out what song was playing right then. “Oh! I love this song.” She sighed.

Teazer got up from the bench, and offered Victoria her hand with an exaggerated flourish. “Would you like to dance, madame?”

Victoria giggled and took her hand, allowing herself to be pulled up from the bench and into the other’s arms. Normally, she would have had to think about it, or just would have said no from the get go. Dancing was a very personal thing for her, and she often didn’t feel comfortable doing so at parties or with people she just met, but she felt comfortable with Teazer. She felt safe. 

“I have’ta warn you, I have two left feet.” Teazer said, placing one hand on Victoria’s waist and keeping the other grasped in hers. 

“That’s alright!” Victoria enthusiastically took the lead, twirling them around the garden on light feet. Teazer stumbled along with her, but seemed to be enjoying it despite her just about being dragged along. Their skirts hitting against each other made it hard to move fluidly, so they messed up often, erupting into laughter every time they did. They stayed like that for a while, skipping around to song after song. Victoria couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun. 

A more upbeat song came on and they picked up their speed, trying to keep up with it. It didn’t take long for their skirts to catch again, and Teazer stumbled, this time falling down and taking Victoria with her. They landed in a heap, laughing so hard tears flowed from their eyes. They were tangled up with one another, but neither of them made any attempt to remedy that. As the laughter died down, Victoria was very aware that their faces were very close. She didn’t pull away, instead she found herself thinking about how nice it would be to kiss her. She leaned in, possessed with the idea, but the sound of Big Ben chiming caused Teazer to sit up in alarm before she got a chance. 

“Shit.” Teazer said quietly. “I’m late.” She stood up and brushed herself off, with Victoria following suit. She turned back to Victoria. “I have’ta go. I’m sorry…”

Victoria smiled at her, though she could feel disappointment winding up in her chest. “That’s alright. Thank you for... everything.” 

Teazer gave her a smile. “Could you do me a favor? Could you unbutton just a few buttons on my dress? I’m going to have’ta run and I can hardly breathe in this thing.”

Victoria nodded and did so, taking her time as she didn’t want to have to say goodbye yet.

When she had finished, Teazer gave her a nod. “Appreciate it. I’m just gonna um. Take a shortcut” Victoria watched as the girl scaled the garden wall that was parallel to the street. She gave a wave before disappearing over the other side.

First a window and now a wall? She certainly was an unusual character. Victoria was so caught up in thinking about what had occurred before that hasty exit that she didn’t notice the burlap sack on the ground until a few minutes had passed. She knew it hadn’t been there before, so it must’ve fallen out of Teazer’s dress as she left. There was no hope of catching her at this point, so Victoria picked it up with the intention of returning it to her if she saw her again. Her fingers hovered over the drawstrings on the bag. She knew it wasn’t nice to snoop, but curiosity got the better of her. She untied the bag and peered into it, eyes widening at the sight of jewels and other expensive trinkets. 

\--

Rumpleteazer met Mungojerrie at their pre-planned rendezvous point. There was a little bit of fuss over her tardiness, but he seemed just as beat as she did, so they headed home right away. Once home, Teazer reached into her bodice so they could go through their bounty from the night, but she realized with a start that the bag was no longer there. It must have fallen out after she had Victoria undo some of her buttons. She swore loudly and Mungojerrie looked at her with alarm.

“I dropped my bag!” 

Now it was Jerrie’s turn to swear. “Shit. D’you think anyone saw?” 

“No.” Teazer answered almost right away. As soon as she said it she felt horrible. She had never lied to her brother before. 

Jerrie breathed out a sigh of relief. “It’s not a problem, then. We jus have a smaller bounty than usual, who cares!” 

She knew he was trying to make her feel better about losing her bag, and that made her feel worse for lying. She just wasn’t sure how Jerrie would react, and she didn’t want to risk not being able to see Victoria again. 


	3. The music is just starting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like just chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I'm not sure. If it is, I'm sorry! But I hope you enjoy. Within the next few chapters this is going to start picking up in a new direction and you're going to see a lot of familiar faces!
> 
> also shining-star-art on tumblr drew Teazer from this fic! Check it out it's GORGEOUS:https://shining-star-art.tumblr.com/post/611977663792463872/finally-got-around-to-also-drawing-rumpleteazer-in

Victoria sat, staring at the pile of newspapers before her. She had collected as many as she could that mentioned some sort of robbery occurring in the past few years, and from there she narrowed it to ones that had appeared to occur during or directly after a party. The patterns fit what she had figured out about Rumpleteazer, but patterns were all she had. She sighed and picked up a paper, flipping back to the article that she had already read several times over. There was nothing else that could be gleaned from it, and she knew that, but she didn’t know what else to do. It had been weeks since she had seen her at a party. She just wanted to find Teazer, and that was impossible to do when the only thing she knew about her was that she was a thief, and an especially good one who had never been caught or even suspected. 

Victoria didn’t even realize she was crying until she saw her tears hit the paper. She made no attempt to stop, instead she just buried her face in her hands and continued to cry. A dull ache thumped in her chest and she wondered if this is what it felt like to have a broken heart. Rumpleteazer was, no doubt, a fake name, and that on top of thievery aspect made her wonder if any of it was real. Did she actually care about Victoria at all? It  _ felt _ real. It felt more real than anything Victoria had known in her life, and it had only been a short time. 

It had taken her a while to recognize exactly what she was feeling, and it was all at once exhilarating and frightening. There had always been a plan in place for her, as there was for every other girl around her. She would marry a man, have children, and that would be the rest of her life. That was what was expected, and it was the only option that had been ever put before her. Thinking of the future had only ever brought her dread before, and she supposed her reaction to Plato’s proposal had been a manifestation of that dread. It felt like a prison, one that she was just allowing herself to be led into. 

When she had realized her feelings for Teazer were, indeed, romantic, everything she thought would be her future seemed to disintegrate before her. Every time she fantasized about somehow having a relationship with her, it felt free. There was no miserable blueprint hanging over that future… just a feeling of unbridled joy. The feelings were overwhelming to her. Victoria already felt an intense infatuation, and she hardly knew her. There was a nagging feeling that if she  _ did _ find her, if she  _ did _ spend more time with her, she would fall completely in love. 

But as always, there came the _ what-if’s _ . What if she never saw her again? What if she did, but Teazer didn’t love her back? And if it was mutual, what would happen? What would her family think? What would society think? What would happen to her- what would happen to  _ them _ ? So many questions ran through her head, and none could be answered by her. Everything was a risk, though she supposed most things in life were. It wasn’t too late for her to back away and take the life with less risks. She could pretend none of this had ever happened. She could marry Plato and follow the path laid out for her. Even if she knew she would never truly love him, he was kind, and gentle. It wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Even as she thought that, she felt nauseous. 

Wiping her tears, she gazed back down at the newspapers. These conflicting thoughts had been tormenting her for the past few weeks. A decision didn’t need to be reached now, and she knew that, but she still could not keep it off her mind. Victoria stood up, and made a beeline for the door. She needed to get out of the house, and away from her thoughts. Mind numb, she walked with no direction, letting her feet carry her. Buildings turned unfamiliar as she continued on, but she paid it no mind. If she got lost, so be it, she simply couldn’t bring herself to care. She walked for what could’ve been hours or minutes, her sense of time seemed to be lost. She only stopped when she reached a crowded market, and then it finally hit her that she was very far from home. 

There was nothing like this anywhere near where she lived, she must’ve walked to the complete other side of town. Victoria felt self conscious standing there, but through the hustle and bustle no one paid her any attention, aside from the occasional person brushing by her. It was a nice change of scenery, and the reprieve she wanted from her thoughts was granted at last. Weaving in and out of the maze-like stalls, she watched people as they went about their day. She wondered what their lives were like, piecing together imaginary stories about them in her head. Her eyes flitted from person to person, until they caught a glint of copper hair in the sunshine.

Victoria stopped dead in her tracks. That couldn’t be her, could it? She inched closer, holding her breath. There was no mistaking it, that was Teazer. She was dressed in simple, plain clothes, and her curly red hair was piled lazily upon her head, but to Victoria she looked more beautiful than she ever had. Her heart began to beat so loud she was worried it would attract attention, but no one turned to look. Especially not Teazer who seemed to be in a heated negotiation with the woman running the fish stall. 

There was still time to walk away and take the path that was planned for her, but now, standing here mere feet away from her, she finally decided. That was not what she wanted. 

She knew what she wanted. 

\--

Rumpleteazer had come clean about the lie the very next day. Mungojerrie had had a good laugh about how she couldn’t keep the lie going for more than a day, but after a sharp jab in the ribs from her, he admitted he probably wouldn’t have been able to lie to her either. Just as she feared, he wasn’t as trusting of Victoria as she was. Eventually they came to an agreement that they would lay low for a month before jumping back into the party scene. It hurt, sure, but she’d been hurt before. She’d be alright eventually, even if it did feel like it hurt more than usual. She figured it was about time she let go of the silly idea she could be with this beautiful upper class girl. It would never happen. It was just a far-fetched dream. 

No matter how many times Teazer told herself that, it didn’t stop the hurt, and it didn’t stop the longing. She still thought about her all the time. She cursed herself for falling for this girl so fast. She had been moping around the house for days, but Jerrie insisted she get out and do something. They were running low on food, so she stopped by the market, though their budget was quite a bit smaller than usual. Without their usual influx of stolen items to pawn, they were having to make the money from their last haul last, and they weren’t exactly known for their great spending habits. 

Thankfully, Teazer was well versed in haggling. Most of the time she was able to score a good deal, but one seller in particular she had never been able to break down.

“C’mon, not even a cent off?” She said, a whine creeping into her voice.

“I’ve told you a hundred times, my prices are non-negotiable.” 

Teazer sighed, defeated, and forked up the whole amount. “I’ll get ya to budge someday, Griddlebone.”

Griddlebone only rolled her eyes and handed Teazer the fish, haphazardly wrapped in paper. 

She tossed it in the basket she had brought with the rest of the parcels of food she’d bought, and turned, ready to head back home. She didn’t register who was walking towards her for a moment, but when she did she nearly dropped everything in shock. There she was, looking like an angel in a white lace dress, only accented by the sun reflecting golden upon her white-blond hair. Teazer thought she was dreaming.

“Victoria?” It came out almost a whisper, one of pure disbelief. She felt excitement rise in her chest. It felt too good to be true.

Victoria looked at her as if she wanted to say something, but she glanced around and instead placed a hand on Teazer’s arm, guiding her away from the crowd. 

Teazer watched Victoria curiously. She seemed to be running something over in her head, and when she spoke she spoke slowly. “I know… that you’re a thief.”

Teazer felt her heart drop. Was her intuition about being able to trust Victoria wrong? Did she only track her down to confront her? “Oh.” was all she managed to squeak out. 

Victoria must have noticed the distress on her face, because she grabbed Teazer’s hands and clarified “No- no I mean I don’t care! I don’t care that you’re a thief I-” She didn’t finish her sentence, instead she looked mortified.

Teazer laughed in relief. “I thought you were going’ta turn me in for a second there, Tori!” 

Victoria’s worried expression melted into a smile. “I probably shouldn’t have led with that.” She paused again, thinking over her words more carefully this time. “I just want to know the truth. About who you are- about everything.” 

Teazer felt so happy she could burst, but she tried to temper her excitement. She knew this might not go how she wanted it, and she didn’t want to disappoint herself again. Still, she couldn’t let this opportunity go. She slipped her hands out of Victoria’s and offered her her arm instead. “I’ll show you.” 

As they walked to the apartment she shared with her brother, she pointed out things along the way. When she was excited, she couldn’t stop talking, but Victoria just listened intently and asked questions. She had never been to this side of the city, and seemed genuinely fascinated. Teazer thought it was cute.

The reached the grimy apartment building, and ascended the stairs. One of the neighboring doors opened, revealing the short and stout figure of their neighbor Jenny. 

“Teazer you-” Jenny cut herself off, noticing that Rumpleteazer wasn’t alone. “Oh! Hello, dear!” She raised an eyebrow at Teazer, but she just waved her hand, she’d explain later. Seemingly satisfied, Jenny continued with what she was saying. “You left your door unlocked again. If you keep that up,  _ you’re  _ going to be the one getting robbed.”

“Yes, mum, I know!” Teazer groaned. “That wasn’t me, that was Jerrie. _ I _ locked it.”

“Hm. I’ll have to have a talk with him when he gets back.” Jenny said with a frown. “You two have fun!” She added before going back inside.

Teazer hadn’t locked the door either, but there was no way she was going to listen to a lecture now of all times. She opened the door to her own apartment, letting Victoria go in first and following after her. She put the basket filled with groceries down on a table as Victoria looked around.

“So, that’s your mum?” Victoria asked.

“Well- Not our actual mum. Me ‘n my brother ran away from home a long time ago. Jenny and Mr. Shanks took us in. They’re  _ basically _ our parents, so we just call ‘em that.

“And Rumpleteazer is-” 

“Not my legal name. It’s a stupid nickname me ‘n my brother came up with as kids, but it stuck. My legal name is Ruth” Teazer stuck her tongue out in mock disgust. 

Victoria laughed. “Rumpleteazer fits you better, I think.”

Teazer regarded her silently for a moment. There were so many things she wanted to say to her, but it was hardly time for that. Instead she settled on “I just want you to know it was real. Everything at the parties, I mean. I wasn’t pretendin’ to be nice to you as a ploy or anything.” Before she lost her nerve, she added “I like you.” 

Victoria seemed to relax. Teazer could’ve sworn she saw a blush color her cheeks, but who knew for sure with the horrible lighting in this apartment. She flopped down on a kitchen chair, and gestured for Victoria to do the same.

“Can I ask you more questions?” Victoria asked as she took a seat.

Teazer grinned. Normally she wouldn’t like anyone prying into her life, but she’d tell Victoria anything if she asked. “Ask away!”

“So, does Jenny know that you… steal?” Her voice was meek, as if she didn’t know if should be asking that.

Teazer just giggled. “Oh, yeah. Pretty much everyone in this complex knows we steal. Jenny doesn’t  _ approve _ , but she knows she can’t stop us from doing it. She just wants us to be careful with it.” 

Victoria nodded. “That’s good, then. I want you to be careful too.” This time, Teazer was sure it wasn’t the lighting making Victoria look like she was blushing. 

“Oh, don’t worry ‘bout us. We haven’t been caught yet.”

Victoria snorted. “Uh huh, so you usually don’t drop your bag of loot during your escape?”

Teazer feigned offense. “Hey! I was distracted, thank you very much.”

Victoria giggled, her face growing more red. “So am I the first person to almost single handedly bring down your entire operation?”

Now Teazer was blushing. “Well- I- Yes.” 

Victoria didn’t say anything in reply, she simply reached across the table and took Teazer’s hand, entwining her fingers with hers. 

The gesture was simple, but it set Teazer’s heart ablaze. All of her heartache from the past weeks was gone, replaced with new hope. This feeling she felt right now was one worth chasing. It was worth taking risks. 

She knew what she wanted.


	4. Night is Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY got around to writing this. So sorry for the wait. Anyways! Hope y'all enjoy this chapter, thank you so much for all the love on this fic so far 
> 
> also shout out to joe for putting funny suggestions in the google doc
> 
> Edit: I finished drawing Victoria and Rumpleteazer from this au! You can see that here: https://rumplteazer.tumblr.com/post/615537302329065472/heres-rumpleteazer-and-victoria-from-my-edwardian

“Holy shit.” Those were the first two words to exit Rumpleteazer’s lips as she walked into Victoria’s home. The home itself wasn’t the largest house she had seen, not by a long shot, but what it lacked in size it made up for in decoration. The ceiling of the foyer was done up in an impressive fresco, and the walls below it were practically covered in paintings. Aside from that, there were statues placed all around the entryway. There was little cohesion to the placement of things, but Teazer thought it looked divine. 

Victoria chuckled as she took off her coat, placing it on a nearby rack before helping Teazer with hers. “It’s a lot, I know. Uncle Bustopher loves to collect art.” 

“It’s beautiful.” Teazer muttered, still looking over the paintings. Her eyes fell upon a portrait of Victoria, hung up amongst the paintings of cherubs and scenes from myth. It was a nice painting, but it couldn’t hold a candle to the real thing. 

She felt Victoria slip her hand into hers, entwining their fingers. As she turned to face her, she felt the familiar feeling of butterflies gathering in her stomach. That feeling used to scare her, it had brought about nothing but doubts, but now it had grown to be a warm and comforting feeling. It had been a few weeks since they had met again, and since then they had seen each other nearly everyday. They clicked just as easily as they had before, perhaps even moreso. With every new thing that Teazer learned about Victoria, she found herself falling for her deeper than before. She didn’t know where their relationship stood- if it was simply just friendship or leaning towards becoming something more- but she was content. There was a comfort in being with Victoria. To put it simply, she felt like home. 

Victoria led her into the parlor. It was far less cluttered with art, but still decorated to an impressive degree. Victoria had brought Teazer here to meet her family- something that Teazer had not previously been nervous about until now. It was all hitting her at once now, what if they didn’t like her? But she had already agreed. And she was here. There was no backing down now. It seemed very important to Victoria, so she was going to try her damndest to make a good impression. 

“Wait here, I’ll go get my brother.” Victoria said, looking slightly nervous in her own right. 

Teazer watched her disappear through a doorway. She could feel panic beginning to set in, but she mercifully didn’t have time to fully process it before Victoria returned with a young man. Though he was her brother, they looked almost exactly opposite. Where her hair was nearly white, his was dark as night itself. Despite the physical differences, they both had the same air of elegance about themselves, making it very clear they were related.

“Teazer, this is Quaxo.” Victoria said, an eager look in her eyes.

Quaxo wordlessly held his hand out for a handshake and Teazer took it, equally silent. Where his silence, she assumed, stemmed from being a quiet person, hers stemmed from nerves. She was usually quite talkative, rarely ever this awkward, but she had gotten into her head about making a good impression and now she was paying for it. 

“Hello.” She finally managed to say. It sounded awkward and stilted to her, but it was better than nothing. 

Thankfully, Victoria was there to keep the conversation going. “Uncle isn’t home, unfortunately. He got called out on business… You’ll meet him some other time.” 

The genuinely overjoyed look on Victoria’s face soothed Teazer’s nerves. She loved to see her so happy. 

A sharp chime of what must’ve been the doorbell cut the conversation short just as Teazer was going to reply. 

Quaxo made a move as if to go get the door, but Victoria beat him to it, announcing “I’ll get it!” before hurrying into the other room. 

“Wonder who it is…” Quaxo mused quietly. 

As if to answer his question, Victoria’s voice could be heard saying “Plato?” 

Teazer knew that name. Despite the very brief mentions of him, it had come up once or twice. Victoria’s boyfriend. Teazer had almost forgotten he existed, though she didn’t know if it was by actual forgetfulness or if she had purposefully put him out of her thoughts in order to give hope something to perch upon. Already, she felt the familiar pangs of heartache begin to creep up on her. Not again. Not.  _ Again _ . A conversation had not even begun and she was already giving into hopelessness? No. She steeled herself against the feeling. She had already decided she was going to be okay if Victoria only wanted friendship, and she was sticking to that. It would all be okay, no matter the outcome. 

And so, she listened. 

  
  


\--

  
  


Victoria was surprised to see Plato, to say the least. It had been quite a while since she had last seen him, and now he shows up?  _ Now _ of all times? She knew it wasn’t his fault for the poor timing, so she did her best to direct her frustrations at fate instead of him. She had been wanting to talk to him for a while, but she knew him staying away and giving her some space was as much for him as it was for her. She wanted to respect that. It had been eating her up that she was planning to break it off with him the next time they met, but it was the right thing to do. He deserved to be free to find love-  _ real _ love. 

But now, she faltered. She wanted to get it over with, yes, but it hardly seemed appropriate here and now. 

He must have read the frustration on her face. “Is this a bad time?” 

She should have said yes, but her instinct to be polite took over her actions and she shook her head no. 

Not seemingly entirely convinced by her answer, he assured “It won’t take long. I promise. It’s just… it’s very important. I want to do this sooner rather than later.” 

“Alright.” Victoria answered. Whether intentionally or not, she quietly held her breath. She had no idea what he needed to say.

“Um, with all this time apart, I’ve figured some stuff out and-” He stumbled over his words, cutting himself off to think through what he was trying to say before giving it another go. This time he decided to go the concise route. “I don’t think we should be together.” 

Victoria audibly let out the breath she had been holding. Relief swept over her. There would be no guilt of breaking hearts for either of them if they both felt the same. 

“It just doesn’t feel right.” He continued. “I’m so sorry but I just-”

She took his hand and patted it reassuringly, stopping him from prattling on aimlessly out of nervousness. “I agree.” 

“Oh!” He looked pleasantly surprised. “I’m… glad, then.” 

She _ did _ love him, she realized. Not a romantic love, but a deep sense of admiration and camaraderie. He truly was a wonderful friend, and he always had been. 

“I have to get back to some things, but don’t be a stranger, alright?” She gave his hand a squeeze before letting it go. 

\--

Both Quaxo and Rumpleteazer listened to the exchange in silence, neither condemning the other’s nosiness. She had been expecting anything other than them breaking up right then and there. She almost felt bad for being happy about that, but it sounded amicable. They both sounded downright cheerful about it.

As goodbyes were being said, she felt the gentle pressure of a hand on her shoulder. She turned her attention back to Quaxo. 

“You are  _ very _ important to her.” His words were simple, but his intonation said more than the words did. He said them firmly, as if they were of great importance for her to know, but with a fond gentleness behind them. 

She would have pressed him- she wanted to hear those words in a less open ended way, she wanted to know if he meant what she thought he did- but the front door shut and Victoria reentered the room. 

“So sorry about that. Quaxo, why don’t you show us some of your magic tricks?” Victoria said, hurriedly moving the mood of the room to a more jovial one.

“If it’s magic tricks you want, I think you ought to ask  _ Mr. Mistoffelees _ .” Quaxo said, an impish grin spreading across his previously placid face.

Victoria stifled a giggle. “Oh, yes. Magical Mr. Mistoffelees if you would  _ please _ grace us with your presence!” She leaned over to Teazer. “It’s a new stage name he’s trying out.” She explained quietly, the trace of a good natured laugh still audible in her voice. 

They sat down on a couch and watched Mistoffelees perform his magic tricks, though Teazer couldn’t help but notice Victoria’s eyes were on her more than they were on the tricks. For a while, the house was filled with laughter and loud conversation. Teazer could hardly believe she had been nervous earlier when things were going so well now. 

After a while, Quaxo had burned through his repertoire of magic tricks. Victoria decided it would be a good idea for her and Teazer to take a walk while it was still light out. It was a fairly nice day, after all, it would be a shame to let it go to waste. Linking arms, they headed out, enjoying each other’s company as they chatted. 

Most of the houses in this area were familiar to Teazer, in fact she had robbed a fair percentage of them. She pointed them out to Victoria as they passed, telling her harrowing tales about her various crimes. They were highly embellished, of course, but they made Victoria laugh so Teazer made each story more ridiculous than the last just to hear it. 

“-and that’s why I’m banned from…” Noticing another house that she recognized, she trailed off, not finishing her story. Victoria was wiping her eyes to clear them of tears that had gathered from laughter and didn’t seem to notice.

Teazer excitedly quickened her pace, partially dragging Victoria with her until she sped up to match. The house was impressive, not just in size but in age as well. It looked like it had been standing there for centuries, and it very well may have been.

“Now  _ this _ house,” Teazer said, pointing at it. “This is the holy grail. Not even to rob, I’ve just heard the parties here are the stuff of legends. They throw one once a year and me ‘n Jerrie haven’t been able to get into  _ any _ of them.” 

“Really? I’m surprised, you seem to be able to get into anywhere.” 

“D’aww, you flatter me, Tori. This place is really exclusive, like some sorta secret club or somethin’. There’s even some people I know who’ve gotten in there, but they don’t know why they were chosen.” 

Victoria was quiet for a moment, surveying they building with wide-eyed wonder before turning back to Teazer with a smile. “Who knows? Maybe this is your lucky year to be invited!” 

They continued walking, and Teazer told her everything she knew about those parties. She told her about Old Deuteronomy, the man who owned the house who seemed as old as the hills. She told her about his sons who made sure no one came in without an invitation and how one seemed more annoyed about their constant intrusion than the other, with whom her and Jerrie had struck up a strange sort of friendship. She told her about Bombalurina, the stage actress who lived in her apartment who went to the party every year without fail. She told her about a great many things, and Victoria listened fervently, perhaps not entirely interested with the subject, but instead interested with the passion that Rumpleteazer had for it. 

The sun had begun to dip below the horizon as they reached Victoria’s house again, washing the world with a golden hue. They both knew that meant they had to say goodbye for the day. It wouldn’t be wise for Teazer to head home once it was dark out. They stood close together for a moment in silence. There was an energy amount the moment that felt right, and Teazer considered kissing her, but she waited too long and the moment passed. Victoria murmured a goodbye, and she said one back, and then Victoria disappeared inside leaving Teazer alone with her thoughts. She wondered if Victoria had felt that too. She wondered if she would ever have the courage to tell her how she felt. 

The sun had given way to the dark of night by the time Rumpleteazer had made it back to her apartment. A figure leaned against the wall next to the door, smoking a cigarette. From the glow of her dyed crimson hair in the gaslight of the street lamps that lined the street, Teazer could tell it was Bombalurina. 

Bombalurina was, incidentally, the exact person Teazer needed to see right now. Bomba was the only other woman that she knew who was also attracted to women. She wasn’t quiet about it, she was proud of it. She even had a long time girlfriend. She had become a key figure in Teazer’s life, always willing to give advice about love and life. 

Teazer didn’t even have to say anything, Bombalurina noticed her first. “You look upset.” She said, beckoning her over with her free hand.

“Yeah.” Teazer confirmed, walking closer to stand by her. 

Bomba put an arm around her shoulder. It was a comforting gesture. “Spill, darling. Tell me what’s going on.” 

“I think i’m in love.” The phrase shouldn’t have been tinted with sadness, but it was. She felt disheartened by her inability to breach the subject with Victoria. 

“With that lovely blonde girl you keep bringing around here?”

Teazer nodded.

“What’s the issue?”

“I keep tryin’ to tell her, but... I get scared and I can’t do it.” It sounded almost pathetic, saying it out loud. Teazer had regularly done things in her life that would scare almost anyone, but she was fine. She thought herself brave, even. And now a few words were making her freeze up?

“It’s scary, I know.” Bomba hummed. “It always is. You just have to jump.” 

That made her feel better. Bomba was the last person she thought would be scared of something like this. “Were you scared when you told Demeter?” 

“Petrified. But, I did it. It’s like ripping off a bandaid, you can’t think too much about it or you’ll never do it.” She took one last drag off her cigarette before dropping it on the ground and grinding it against the pavement with her heel. “It was the best decision I’ve ever made.” 

She unwrapped her arm from around Teazer and ruffled her hair. “I know you can do it. You’re the bravest bitch I know.” 

Teazer laughed. “Thank you, Bomba. 

\--

Victoria had been trying to read, but she couldn’t pay attention to the book. Her mind kept wandering back to Teazer. She desperately wanted to tell her how she felt, but running scenarios in her head only served to make her more unsure. She tossed the book aside and laid face down on the couch, groaning into the cushions. 

The cushions did nothing to conceal the noise, and Quaxo was quick to check on his sister. “Vicky? You okay?”

She sat back up and sighed. “I’m just frustrated.” 

He sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug. He didn’t say anything for a moment, evidently taking time to consider his next words. Finally, he said “I know you love her.” 

She pulled away, looking at him with a quizzical expression. “How-” 

“You’re not exactly inconspicuous, Vic, it’s  _ very _ obvious.” He replied, laughing a little. 

She laughed too, covering her face with her hands and nodding. 

He knew exactly what she was going through- he had gone through it too. He knew the joy, the fear, the hard decisions. He knew. “It’s going to end up alright. I promise.” His tone was absolute. It was all he needed to say. 

She knew he was right. 


	5. And I am falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow that took me a long time to get that done! Super sorry about that. This chapter isn't very long either BUT we're winding down now, the next chapter will be the final one. Hop you guys enjoy!

A dull thudding on the apartment door woke Rumpleteazer up, but she kept her eyes firmly shut, desperately trying to hold onto the last tendrils of sleep that were quickly fleeting. She had been having a wonderful dream, the memory of which was fleeting just as fast as her grasp on sleep. The only thing she knew is that she was with Victoria in it, and it left a lingering feeling of joy. 

The knocking continued and she groaned, throwing her pillow over her head in a last ditch effort to block out the sound, but it was too late. She was wide awake now. Couldn’t Jerrie get the door? She knew he was probably also intentionally ignoring the sound, waiting for her to take action instead. With much effort, she dragged herself out of bed. The sooner this was over with, the sooner she could get back to sleep and  _ hopefully _ back to her dream. She wrenched open the front door, squinting in the harsh morning sunshine while trying to make out who was at the door.

“Oh good God, finally. I was starting to think you’d never answer the door.” She recognized the voice before her eyes fully adjusted. Bombalurina.

“These came for you and Jerrie today.” Bomba held out two nondescript parcels towards her, and Teazer noticed there was a third tucked beneath her arm. The wheels had already begun turning in her head, but what Bomba said next confirmed what she was thinking “Congratulations.” 

She took the parcels from her and Bomba sauntered away, leaving Rumpleteazer standing with her mouth agape for several seconds too long. When she finally regained her senses, she made a beeline for Mungojerrie’s door and knocked loud enough to wake the dead. She could hear her brother groan in annoyance before he finally got out of bed and opened his door.

“What?” He asked, voice flat.

“I think we got in.” Teazer said, holding up the parcels.

Jerrie’s eyes widened. He knew exactly what she meant. “In? To the fuckin’ Jellicle Ball?”

She nodded, tossing him his parcel and tearing into hers. Inside was a letter and a mask shaped like a cat’s face. Hers was painted with a calico pattern, and Jerrie’s looked to be the same but with the pattern flipped. She unfolded the letter, and with a glance knew she was right. They were in.

_ Dear Rumpleteazer, _

_ I am happy to inform you that you are invited to this year’s Jellicle Ball. As you can see from the mask included with this letter, this year’s theme is cats, however feel free to dress however you please as long as you wear the mask.  _

_ From what Bombalurina and my sons have told me, you’ve been waiting quite a long time to attend one of our balls. I hope your interest has not waned and you still wish to join our little Jellicle family. It will be held on the evening of June 30th at the Deuteronomy Mansion.  _

_ Sincerely, Old Deuteronomy _

“YES!” Teazer shouted, throwing her arms up in glee. Jerrie did nearly the same thing. 

“I have to go tell Victoria!” She gasped, hurrying back to her room to get dressed.

Jerrie rolled his eyes in a playful manner. “Of  _ course _ you do.” 

Teazer poked her head out of her room just to stick her tongue out at him. As soon as she was dressed, she headed off down the street, practically running. It was a fairly long walk to Victoria’s house, and she knew she wouldn’t be keeping up that pace the whole way, but she was too excited to slow down.

\--

Victoria was having breakfast when the mail arrived. Quaxo entered carrying two parcels, and handed her one before staring quizzically at his own. Victoria tore into hers much faster, not as concerned with who it was from. Inside was a white mask shaped like a cat’s face and a letter. The mask was gorgeous, there was white lace overlaid on it with the nose painted in pink. Quaxo was already nose deep in the letter as Victoria fawned over her mask.

“They want me to perform my magic tricks at this ball…” He said incredulously.

“Oh, Quaxo, that’s wonderful!” Victoria exclaimed. She was very happy for her brother, he had been performing magic tricks for years, but never before had he been asked to do so. He was finally being recognized for his talent. 

Victoria opened the letter. Upon first reading through it, she thought it was just a regular invitation to another ball, but then it clicked. This was _ the _ ball. The one Teazer had told her about.

She shot up from the table, knocking her tea over in the process. She sopped it up with a napkin, but didn’t do all that attentive a job. She was too excited to be concerned with it. Surely, if Victoria was invited she’d be able to bring Teazer along as a guest. She had to tell her right away. She made a beeline for the door, shouting an offhand “I’ll be back!” as she did. It was quite rude of her to leave the table without even excusing herself, she realized, but that didn’t matter now that she was out the door.

Victoria started at a brisk pace, but had to slow down. Rumpleteazer’s apartment was quite a ways away, so she wouldn’t be able to keep that pace up the entire time. She desperately wished she could get there faster, the excitement of it all made her heart feel like it was going to rip through her chest. 

The streets were bustling with people going about their daily business, but through the crowd Victoria caught a glimpse of copper hair. She thought she may have just been getting overeager, and that was simply someone else with the same hair color, but the crowd shifted enough and she locked eyes with Rumpleteazer. Teazer’s face broke out into a grin when she saw Victoria. She looked so happy to see her that Victoria momentarily forgot what she had even set out to do in the first place, she was blinded by a sensation of pure love. They both picked up their pace and Victoria practically tackled her with a hug. A few people shot odd glances their way, but she could hardly care.

When they broke the hug, Teazer held up the parcel she had been carrying under her arm. Victoria recognized it immediately. “I got into the Jellicle Ball!” She squealed, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Me too!”

“You did?!” Teazer threw her arms around her again, squeezing her. “I can’t believe this- I finally get to go to the Jellicle Ball and  _ with you _ !” 

Victoria’s heart swelled. It sounded like Rumpleteazer was just as excited by the fact Victoria was going to be there with her as she was that she got invited. Knowing she was just as important to her as this dream of hers she had been chasing for years made Victoria tear up a bit, but she blinked the tears away and tried to play it cool when they broke the hug.

“Did you get a mask too?” Victoria asked.

“Mhm!” Teazer pulled the mask out of the parcel and handed it to Victoria.

Victoria looked it over. Just as her mask fit her tastes perfectly, she felt this one fit Rumpleteazer just the same way. “It’s lovely!” 

“What does yours look like?” Teazer asked.

“Oh- shoot. I left it at home.” Victoria gave her an apologetic look, but she was actually thankful she had an excuse to bring her back to her house. She hadn’t woken up intending for this to be the day she confessed, but she knew she was ready.

Rumpleteazer just smiled and took her hand. “Lead the way.” 

The walk back to her house was much less agonizingly slow, and they arrived there soon after. Victoria tried to plan out what she was going to do as they walked. It seemed easy enough in her head- wait for an opportune time, breach the subject, and that would be that. As they got closer to her house, Victoria began to buzz with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Once they were inside, she led Teazer to the dining room. The breakfast that had been there earlier was gone, probably having long since been cleared away by Quaxo. The mask and letter remained, having been neatly placed together and not in the haphazard way she’d left them. 

Teazer picked up the mask, looking it over. She opened her mouth to say something, but in that moment, Victoria’s adrenaline spiked and the words came tumbling out. “I’m in love with you.”

Victoria grimaced. That hadn’t gone to plan. What happened to waiting for an opportune time? Oh well. She had said it. She looked at Teazer, waiting for her reaction. She couldn’t read her expression, but her face had gone bright red. 

“Say that again?” Teazer requested in a small voice. If Victoria wanted an out, this was it. Though the thought of saying something else did momentarily cross her mind, she wasn’t going to back out now. No matter what happened, she was speaking the truth of what was in her heart.

“I’m in love with you.” She said again, sounding much more confident.

She watched as Teazer’s unreadable expression turned into a smile. “I’m in love with you too.” 

Victoria almost couldn’t believe her ears. She loved her too. Her mind kept echoing that fact over and over.  _ She loved her too.  _ She saw a tear roll down Teazer’s cheek and she gently took her face and her hands, brushing the tear away with her thumb.

“Don’t cry…” She said softly.

“They’re happy tears. I promise.” 

This wasn’t the first time their faces had been this close to one another, but it  _ was _ the first time she didn’t pull away in a panic. Instead she leaned in and kissed her. It was by no means the most graceful kiss, they bumped noses and both of them erupted into laughter when they did. If it were anyone else, Victoria would have felt self conscious about that, but not with Teazer. She had always felt comfortable with her, even from the start. 

When they parted, Teazer excitedly grabbed Victoria’s hands. “Tori, will you officially be my date for the Jellicle Ball?” 

“I’d love nothing more.” 

With that, they both leaned in for another kiss, this time executing it much better. 

\--

It was night when Rumpleteazer arrived back at the apartment. She hadn’t intended to spend all day at Victoria’s house, but at the same time she wouldn’t have rather been anywhere else. Sure she didn’t get anything else done, but kissing Victoria was plenty productive, right?

She headed immediately to her closet to figure out which gown she’d wear to the ball. Sure, it was two weeks away, but she was so excited she couldn’t help herself. She didn’t have to worry about having to make a speedy escape this time, so either dress would do. Then she thought back to how difficult it was for her and Victoria to dance the last time. Surely, it’d be easier with her lighter dress, but not by much. Full skirts were such a hassle, and the invitation did say to dress however she’d like… Maybe she should test the limits of that.

She knocked on her brother’s door. “Jerrie! Do you still have your old suit you don’t wear anymore?”

“Yeah, why?”    
  
“Can I have it?”   
  
There was a pause while Jerrie shuffled through his closet, eventually opening the door with said suit in his hands. “Knock yourself out.”

“Thank you!” She said, taking the suit and scurrying back off to her room. The suit would need some alterations, but it was going to work much better than a gown would. She was going to make sure that this ball lived up to her expectations. 


End file.
